The Justice League Gets a Monkey
by Gregg Landsman
Summary: In a crossover with everything, Goku decides to flex his muscles as a full-fledged Superhero...and finds it's just not as easy as randomly blowing stuff up.  Read and Review, please...
1. Default Chapter

**The Justice League gets a Monkey**

            A world we do not yet know of.  Uninhabited yet capable of supporting life.  For this reason, it has been chosen by the being who's name is known in hushed whispers and fearful dreams.

            A towering figure of a human, clad in royal purple and dark blue armor that contains the energies of a living star, he stands at the base of a machine the size of a skyscraper, as he prepares to feast.

            He is Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds.  At his side is his Herald, Nova, a native of Earth granted life taken to her by mystical means, and once again serving her Master.

            She watches, as her master begins the process of bringing the transfer machine to life, subtle manipulations of the Power Cosmic assembling the core components of the device…

            "Excuse me?"

            Nova stops in mid flight.  Looking around, her cosmic senses detect new power on the world…right below them.

            "Excuse me, we're down here!"

            She looks down.  She motions Galactus forward.  Silently, the colossus levitates over the machine, looking down…

            And spots two figures.

            The first is a man clad in an orange gi and blue shirt, some sort of Japanese numerical symbol on his back, with wild spiky hair and a large grin on his face.  His companion is a man no more than four feet tall, with cropped black hair…and no nose.  Dressed in similar attire.

            "Yes," Nova asks.

            "Hi!" the gi-wearing man exclaims, waving, "I'm Son Goku.  This is my partner, Krillin.  We're here to ask you to leave this planet alone."

            Galactus levitates back to the controls of his machine.  Nova flies to him, shrugging, looking at him questioningly.

            "Deal with them," the Devourer says, "The Hunger grows."

            "Right," she says with a tired sigh, and flies back around the machine to their level.

            "No dice," she says, "It's enough that I finally got him to come to uninhabited worlds."

            "But what if someone's planning to use this world?" Goku asks, "That's hardly fair to them.  What would you tell them?"

            Nova screws her face up, first in confusion, then in thought.  She turns to the direction of her master, to ask the question…

            "ENOUGH!" the voice booms, "THE HUNGER GROWS!  I SHALL NOT COMPROMISE A SECOND TIME!"

            Sheepishly, she turns back to them…to find that they're already floating above, charging energy blasts towards the machine…and she intersects them with lightning speed, her flame aura blasting around her.

            "The Master has spoken!" she growls, "Now leave or I MAKE you leave!"

            "Oh, now this is just great," Krillin mutters, "Goku, why did I let you convince me to go here?"

            "Because it's something we have to do," Goku responds, "We'll have to fight.  Krillin, you take the Herald.  I'll take Galactus."

            A golden aura bursts into life around Goku, arcs of lightning crackling around him as his hair turns gold, and then spikes up as he reaches the power of the Ascendant Super Saiyan.  In a burst of aura, he flies past Nova, towards Galactus.

            "Right, you…w-SAY WHAT?!" Krillin shrieks, "You want me to take on her?!"

            He turns, locking eyes with a very angry Nova.  And grinning like an idiot, he flares his white aura around him and flies into the distance, the Herald of Galactus in hot pursuit.

            Flying at full speed, aura glowing and amplifying his strength to the maximum possible in Super Saiyan 2 form, Goku slams fist first into Galactus' shoulder…and screams in pain as he nearly breaks his hand.  Flying back, shaking his hand and blowing on it as it throbs and begins to swell to twice its normal size, he lets off a string of curses, turning back to the Devourer of Worlds.

            Screaming, pumping his arms towards Galactus, he lets off blast after blast of chi energy, consuming the Devourer in smoke and debris…and again revealing no damage as Galactus continues to work on his machine.

            Flying up to Galactus' face, he floats in the air, a dejected look on his face and his shoulders slumped, as the cosmic being finally notices him out of the corner of his eye.

            "I don't get it," Goku says, "Everyone keeps telling me I'm more powerful than you."

            "Okay, think Krillin.  Every time a woman beats the crap out of you she ends up marrying you.  You're already married, and if this happens with this lady, 18 will kill you."

            Despite pouring all his available power into speed in the hopes that Goku 'finishes off' Galactus quickly and saves his bacon, Krillin sees with a glance over his shoulder that Nova is gaining on him.

            "Crap crap crap crap CRAP!" the monk says, "Great!  I go from sidekick to cosmic punch-puppet!  And I am getting SICK AND TIRED OF THIS!"

            "Then stop running and let me put you out of your misery," Nova barks.

            Krillin's white aura dissipates, and he turns in mid air.

            "In fact, I think I will," he growls, and spreads his hands out over his face, "SOLAR FLARE!"

            A burst of light emits from Krillin's latent chi aura, blasting into Nova's sight and making her scream as she's blinded.  She stops in mid air, groping around and she furiously blinks her eyes, yelling cursing at him as she randomly tosses around flame bursts…

            And Krillin blurs, appearing in front of her as his aura flashes into existence…

            And he lays into her with a full-powered, desperate punch, knocking her senseless and out of the air, streaking to the ground…and falling unconscious.

            "I…I just knocked out a herald of Galactus."

            Krillin, floating in mid air, thinks about the victory for a moment…and pumps his fists into the air, whooping.

            "Oh yeah!  Yeah, go Monk-man!  I am that damn-"

            "HERALDS.  DEAL WITH HIM."

            The pronouncement from Galactus causes Krillin to turn.  Color drains from his face as he sees the three figures streaking from Galactus' orbiting ship.

            "…heralds?"

            His chi aura flares into a pillar of gold flame.

            His muscles bulge to unrealistic levels, his eyes turning into blank white slits.  Goku calls upon his latent power, amping up the Ascendant Saiyan level as he has done the first form of the Super Saiyan in the past.

            Chambering his hands to the side, he grits his teeth, thrusting out both hands towards the indifferent Devourer of Worlds.

            "Ka…"

            He brings his hands together in an open clam position.

            "Me…"

            He chambers his hands to his side.

            "Ha…"

            A sphere of glowing blue forms, arcs of loose energy swirling around him.

            "ME…."

            And screaming, he thrusts his hands towards Galactus.  Loose streams of the energy swirl around him.  The ground, far beneath him, shakes.

            "HAAAAA!!!"

            And the sphere explodes into a beam of energy, cutting the distance between the saiyan and Galactus, slamming full force into Galactus' face…

            And doing Jack Shit.

            Floating dejectedly, Goku flies over to Galactus, flying in his face in a manner similar to a mosquito.

            "Why won't you pay attention to me?" he asks, "I'm trying to drive you away.  The least you could do is react…"

            Perhaps taking pity, perhaps just annoyed, the Devourer of Worlds does react.

            By flicking Goku with his index finger, sending him flying into a conveniently nearby mountain range, before turning back to his machine.

            Krillin's eyebrow twitches as the three figures land near him…and where Nova is also laying unconscious.

            One is a man seemingly composed entirely of flame, carrying a staff that burns on both ends.

            The other is a metal man, clad in what seems to be a miniskirt.

            And the last is a large man made of stone, clad in black and red, carrying a massive axe and a very large chip on his shoulder.

            "You," the fire-man says, "Have felled one of us.  I am Firelord, Herald of Galactus.  And we are here to put you down."

            Perhaps drunk with victory, or merely emboldened to the point of delusion, or perhaps having just been hit in the head too many times, Krillin smiles.  He grins like a tiger, gesturing the three beings of nigh cosmic power forward.

            "Come and get me."

            The entire mountain range explodes.  This garners little of Galactus' attention, the being quickly turning to his machine.

            Goku, his body enlarged, streamlined, his eyebrows gone and his spiky hair now a mane of gold, bursts from the rubble and flies directly at Galactus, leaving after images in his wake.

            Becoming a tornado of blows, he swirls around Galactus, laying punch after punch with incalculable strength and speed.

            He gives the World Eater pause, Galactus turning to his opponent as a blow to his foot causes the titan to lose his balance for a moment, Goku preparing to rise up and strike him in the torso…

            Until Galactus' foot comes down, and buries Goku well into the ground.

            Krillin has always looked for the right opportunity to bring out his trump card.

            Years spent around Goku, Vegeta, and their children had given him ample time to study the power of the Super Saiyans.  Enough so that he realized their transformation wasn't some arcane act, but was in fact the use of chi energy to multiply, not just enhance, physical powers.

            And Krillin learned how to duplicate it.

            He called it Super Krillin.

            Screaming, his hair spiking, his white aura flashes gold.  Flying with speeds no human, even a chi master, can accomplish, he lays into Firelord with a single blow.  The fiery Herald bounces onto the ground, mutters, "Every damn time," before falling unconscious.

            Gabriel, the Air Walker, is disposed of similarly.

            And Super Krillin, screaming with blind power, flies towards the final opponent…and slams face-first into Terrax the Tamer's fist.

            "You ought to be fun," the geokinetic Herald says.

            And laughing, he begins to wail on the hapless Z-Senshi.

            Goku bursts from the ground between Galactus' legs.

            Floating for a moment, he gathers the power within his fists…and screaming, he rises up, towards the entrance of Galactus' flared lower tunic.

            "_RYU-KEN!_"

            His fists taking the forms of Dragons, he flies into the chink in the mighty being's armor…

            And Galactus is given pause.

            The Devourer of Worlds narrows one eye, as he hears Goku's screams coming from somewhere no being has dared walk.

            Concentrating for a moment, his corporeal form glows, and a solid pillar of cosmic energy slams down from between his legs and deposits Goku once more on the ground, gasping for air.

            Composing himself, Goku flickers and appears a half mile away from Galactus…and he chambers his fists, concentrating his energy…and thrusts them out once more into the open-clam position.

            "KAMEHAMEHA!"

            A sphere half his size forms, and flares out into the beam, crossing the distance…and impacting on Galactus' machine.

            The machine flickers, shudders…and explodes, scatters its parts for miles.

            And as the smoke clears, and Goku beholds Galactus' soot-covered form…

            He sees a frown.

            He sees that Galactus is angry.

            "Uh oh."

            Backpeddling in the air, he easily summons up his courage, preparing to attack…

            And Galactus flickers, appearing in front of him.

            "Wow, did Master Roshi teach you tha-"

            Goku has no time to complete his question, before the back of Galactus' hand slams into him, and sends him flying into the distance.

            _WHAM._

            Another punch from Terrax, which would break Krillin's nose if he had one.

            _WHAM._

            Another one, which loosens his last baby teeth.  A mixed blessing.

            Krillin has lost count of the number of times Terrax has bashed him in the face with his fists, multiple bruises already evident.

            A hammer blow to his head causes the light-headed Krillin to bounce off the ground, floating up…

            And a ripping fart bursts directly into Terrax's face, causing the Herald to stumble back, swearing.

            "Ah…oo…That's the burrito from last night," Krillin groans, "Say…what's your boss doing, anyway?"

            "The Master feeds of life energy," Terrax responds, "He drains it from worlds to satiate his hunger."

            "Ah…huh?  Life energy?" Krillin asks, snapping out of his punch-drunk stupor, "Say…that gives me an idea!"

            "Really?  Then I can pick your brain," Terrax says, and summons his axe, "After I remove it from your skull, of course."

            Terrax grins as only a sadist like him can, advancing on the scrambling back midget…

            And screaming, Goku completes his forced lap of the world, slamming into Terrax like an orange and blue meteor and knocking the herald unconscious.

            Taking a moment to deal with the horrible, horrible pain in his body, Goku sits up, falling directly out of Super Saiyan 3 form and into his normal, black haired form.

            "I think I underestimated him," he says.

            "You THINK?!" Krillin yells, "Goku, I am not tagging along with you on these trips again!  Whenever you want to hang out next, we're going bowling and that's final!"

            Krillin helps his first off the unconscious Terrax, giving the rocky herald a kick to the face for good measure.

            "Got any energy left?"

            "Enough to go another round," Goku snarls.

            His aura flares, his hair straightens and bleaches as he goes Super Saiyan…and Krillin holds him down.

            "Whoa!  Whoa there!  Non-monkey talking, and I have a plan that doesn't make you miss out on Goten's puberty years!"

            The cogs in Goku's brain, often used in battle seldom outside of it, begin to turn.  He shrugs off Krillin turns to him, and folds his arms in a pose almost completely ripped off from Piccolo.

            "What's your plan?"

            Nova has revived herself and is currently fluttering around Galactus like Tinkerbell around Peter Pan after a growth spurt.

            "I am so embarrassed," she says, "I can't believe I got beaten by a mop-topped little dwarf with a light trick and a right hook."

            Galactus, on the other hand, is ignoring her.  He is simply working on rebuilding his machine, making only the slightest grunts in reaction to Nova's ranting.

            "And you're no help either," she snaps, turning to him, "It's always 'The Hunger is satiated' this or 'The Hunger grows' that.  You can never say, 'Good job, Nova,' or 'Nice work, Nova,' or anything that's actually productive towards the whole employee/employer relationship.  I've read this in employee manuals.  Even the lowest part time retail jobs have some bosses who congratulate their workers every now and then."

            "Good job, Herald," Galactus rumbles.

            "And that's just sarcasm!  You saw that I got knocked out by that spike-haired kung fu fighter's little friend!"

            On cue, Krillin flies towards them, holding up his hands as Nova holds a hand out at him like a cannon.

            "Whoa!  Whoa!  I'm not here for a rematch!"

            "Make a move and I'll beat you like a bondage midget," Nova says.

            "Hey, I'm married to someone far more violent than you.  I am not scared…but you might want to look up."

            Nova looks up, never taking her hand from Krillin…and her jaw opens wide agape, her eyes widening in shock…and she sees a giant sphere of pulsating white energy hovering above.

            "Oh…boy.  Master…"

            "It's called a Spirit Bomb," Krillin says, "It's borrowed life energy.  A lot of it."

            Nova turns back to Krillin, who shrugs with a small grin.

            "I figured, hey, if he feeds on life energy, let's give it to him.  Goku, let'er rip!"

            On the ground nearby, hands high in the air, Goku growls, roars…and brings his hands down.  The sphere ripples from the sudden force upon it, descending towards the Devourer of Worlds…

            And sensing the power within, Galactus raises his hand, touching the sphere…and he begins to glow white.

            "What the HFIL is happening," Krillin asks, shielding his eyes.

            Nova gives off a slight grin, averting her gaze.

            "Galactus is feeding."

            The surface of the planet glows, a pillar of light shooting straight up…and when the light clears, the Genki Dama is gone, and Galactus stands alone.

            "The Hunger is Satiated," he says, "We will leave.  Herald."

            Galactus gestures, and the three unconscious Heralds are transported back into the ship.  The machine disassembles, rising with the titan into the sky, into his waiting craft.  And Nova turns to Krillin as Goku rejoins him in the air.

            "That's his way of saying thanks," she says, "See you around."

            A plume of flame her trail, she joins her master, and the ship soon departs.

            And Goku sighs, slumping his shoulders.

            "I still wanted to beat him off," he whines.

            "You need a hobby," Krillin responds, "You really do.  Can we go _home_ now?"

            Goku sighs, placing his hand on his best friend's shoulder, placing his two fingers on his forehead, and they flicker before disappearing and transporting back to Earth.


	2. Auditions and Little Pink Destroyers

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            Son Goku, the Legendary Super Saiyan (according to everyone but a certain Prince), and great fighter, is many things.

            Easily employable is not one of them.

            While Goku's other best friend, Mrs. Bulma Briefs, is happy to provide the Sons with whatever money they need, a lack of world-shattering threat makes the times between sparring sessions painfully dull to the Super Saiyan.

            Gohan has moved out, and Uub he isn't scheduled to meet for at least another five years, meaning there's no one for him to spar with and really cut loose.

            But something Krillin said when they returned from that alien world he can't get out of his mind…

            _"I am too fragile for this stuff, Goku.  That wasn't something you drag a buddy to, that was something you call up a super team for."_

            "A super team," Goku wonders out-loud, "Maybe I should try for one of those leagues?"

            After all, they get a stipend and full benefits from what Gohan told him.  And being able to bring in money would give him a better image, in his eyes and in the eyes of his wife…

            His musing is ended by the sounds of a loud knocking on the door.

            Bouncing out of his couch, he crosses the distance from the living room to the door in the time it takes for the first knock to end.

            Opening the door, he sees no one…until he hears a cough, and looks down.

            And he sees a blue skinned, pudgy alien with antennae sprouting from his big-eyed, noseless face, the ends of his ceremonial oriental robe dragging on the ground.  And if that wasn't enough of a hint, flanking him is a monkey and a cricket.  All of whom are not wearing happy faces.

            "King Kai!" Goku exclaims, "Wow!  I never knew you'd come to visit!"

            "Save it, Goku," the North Kaio growls, "And step aside.  We're moving in."

            Goku steps aside, as large suitcases manifest out of thin air and fall into Goku's arms.  The Lord of Worlds waddles past him, muttering something about ingrate students messing up his world.

            "What happened?" Goku asks, his face showing all too characteristic confusion, "I used the dragonballs to bring your world back and restore you to life."

            "Oh, sure you did!" Kai shouts, "But then your purple-headed friend comes to it, demanding I teach him the Spirit Bomb!"

            "Purple headed…?"

            "You lead _GALACTUS _ to my world you…you…you _ABSOLUTE IDIOT!_  When I couldn't give him what he wanted he ATE my world and sent us here!  So you're dealing with us now until the Dragonballs are ready again!"

            "Oh…I got your world destroyed?"

            "_AGAIN!_"

            "…sorry.  Gohan's moved out and Goten's visiting him, so I guess you can stay here.  I just need to run this by Chi Chi, I guess…"

            On cue, Goku's wife, a black haired woman, her beauty evident despite her advancing years, walks from the ever-important kitchen at the sound of her name…and stops, seeing the…thing…talking with her husband.

            "Oh, there you are," Goku says, "Chi Chi, this is King Kai.  He mentored me when I was dead.  The first time."

            King Kai turns, waddling over, clearing his throat with a loud rattle before extending his hand upwards towards her…

            And Chi Chi screams, bringing her frying pan down with full force on King Kai's head.

            The Lord of Worlds, the mentor of the Genki Dama and Kaioken, the deity Kami prayed to…

            Collapses like a ton of bricks.

            Gregory and Bubbles look over him, King Kai emitting a wet gurgle before going silent.

            "Oh my God," Gregory chirps, "She killed Kai!"

            They look up at Chi Chi, who looks at them, and the fallen, unconscious sensei.

            "Well, what was I supposed to do?" she demands, "I had a tentacle demon coming at me in my living room!"

            Goku looks around, looks at his steaming wife, and then at the confused helpers.

            "I'm going to look into those auditions now," he says, pressing his fingers to his forehead, and disappears before the situation can worsen anymore.

            Silently, Captain America, sentinel of liberty and considered one of the worst people in the world to piss off, reads through the file the Avengers kept on him, the other Avengers sitting by his side at the half-circle audition table.

            "Very impressive," he says, "We could definitely use someone with your power level on the team.  If you have the time today, we can give you a tour of the Mansion grounds and a walk through of our procedures."

            "That'd be great," Goku says with a wide, boyish smile, "Could I get something to eat, first?"

            Subsequently, the Avengers leveled four different restraining orders and told him that if he ever came near the Mansion kitchen again, he'd be shot.

            This was after Goku told them that Capsule Corp would pay for restocking their entire kitchen.  It didn't help much, partially because they were in shock that anything could go through enough food to feed ten people for two weeks.

            That put the Avengers out of the running for the superteam he'd be working for.

            In the next hour, he got turned down by the Maverick Hunters, Teen Titans, Alpha Flight, and the Sailor Scouts.

            The reasons were, in order, 'Too powerful,' 'Too scary/better hair than Nightwing,' 'Not Canadian,' and some reason lost in fits of laughter.

            Leaving Goku pacing around the outside of the apartment building where his oldest son now lives, clad in his 'off-duty' outfit of jeans, a white shirt, and a jacket.  That and his lost expression in Tokyo makes him a dead giveaway as Son Gohan exits the building, the spiky haired youth stopping in his tracks and smiling, running over to his father.

            "Hey, Dad," he yells, waving, "What're you doing here?"

            "I've…got a problem," Goku says, holding out his hands in exasperation, "I'm hoping you can help me with it."

            "Sure thing, Dad.  What's the problem?"

            "I'm trying to join a superteam, but I keep getting rejected," Goku says, as the two begin walking in the direction of the school Gohan teaches at, "You're a superhero, and I know you keep trying to get on teams, so is there anyone out there you think I should try for?"

            Gohan's expression turns to curious, thoughtful listening to one of confusion…and he points up.

            "What does that mean?"

            "It means, you should try the moon," Gohan says, "If you ask me, you're perfect material for the JLA."

             Moving at invisible speeds so not to interrupt an argument between Chi Chi and King Kai, Goku flips through the papers Gohan kept in the house while he operated from there as the Great Saiyaman.

            Finding the information on JLA recruitment he was looking for, he looks back to the papers to find he was moving fast enough to set them on fire via friction.

            Them, and the entire file cabinet.

            Shrieking in shock, he looks around, still moving fast enough to be invisible to the naked eye…and shrugs, releasing an energy blast against the wall next to it, the concussion smothering the fire…but blasting out the wall.

            Which was heard by the entire house, evident by Chi Chi screaming in surprise.

            Seizing up when he realizes what Chi Chi will do if he finds out about that, he teleports out before the door to the storage room can open.

            "Good, this is the recruitment papers," Gohan says, sitting at the couch of his apartment, hunched over his lap top as Goku looks over his son's shoulder, "That form you got was a copy I kept from when I first tried to get them to take me on."

            "You mean two months ago?"

            "Yeah…yeah, two months ago."

            "If they didn't go for you," Goku says, scratching his head, "Why wouldn't they reject me?"

            "It's…a matter of presentation."

            Two months earlier.

            Clad in his green tunic and black bodysuit, hair hidden with his white long wrap and eyes hidden by shades, Son Gohan, the Great Saiyaman, leaps in front of the half-circle table that the JLA uses for auditions.

            "I am the protector of the city!"

            Leg up pose, arms out in crane stance.

            "The defender of justice!"

            Tuck leg in, arms straight forward.

            "The warrior of the weak!"

            Bend right leg, extend right leg all the way, chamber right hand and extend left arm in half-circle wave.

            "I am the Great Saiyaman!"

            Superman is struggling to keep a straight face.  Aquaman is currently resting his head in his remaining hand.  Wonder Woman is consciously wondering if there's any point to saving Man's World at all.  Green Lantern and Flash wear matching faces of stark horror and befuddlement.

            And Gohan is beaming, seeing them taken aback by his entrance.

            _I'm so cool,_ he thinks to himself.

            _No, you're not,_ a second thought track thinks, _You are not cool.  You are an immature young man-child with a serious Oedipus Complex.  You seek to become your father, imitating him but to a ridiculous degree, trying to be recognized for what he was instead of your own merits, while romancing a woman with an undeniable resemblance to your mother.  You will not seek to join the Justice League, and instead will seek therapy._

            Gohan turns, and walks from the audition room.

            And Green Lantern smacks Martian Manhunter on the arm.

            "That was mean, J'onn."

            End flashback.

            Flying on his own power to the moon, Goku descends out of Super Saiyan level, landing inside the atmospheric shield of the lunar tower that is the Watchtower, home base of the Justice League, the most prestigious organization of superheroes in the solar system.

            Clad in his trademark orange gi, he walks through the metal sliding doors into the lobby of the base.

            Metal balls speed towards him and swerve around him, exiting through the doors.  He walks past them, past a reception desk fitted with an emerald-green receptionist made out of light, past windows showing an untouched lunar surface.

            And past a tall, green man with a pronounced brow and dressed in undies and a set of leather straps leading into a high-collared blue cape.

            "It's a flower," he says.

            Goku stops, looking around, seeing he's the only person there.

            "I-I didn't say anything!"

            "You were thinking it," he says, "You were wondering if it was alien bondage gear.  It's a flower from Mars.  My home planet.  You must be Goku, we heard you were coming."

            "You did?  How?"

            "I am an Omnipath.  I can simultaneously see the surface-thoughts of every being on the planet Earth.  Your thought of coming here to audition for the League stood out quite easily.  You are unique.  You have no hidden agendas, no shadowy thoughts you attempt to hide away.  I can read you better than a book.  I can read you like Cliff Notes.  I think you'll be a perfect addition."

            He walks past Goku, walking to the doorway Goku was heading for and opening it.  Gesturing for Goku to follow, he walks through, the Saiyan trailing behind.

            "So…what's the procedure for auditioning," Goku asks, "Gohan didn't tell me too much about it."

            "I imagine he didn't.  How is his therapy going?"

            They didn't know it.  Not for years.

            But a single part of a molecule was left after he was destroyed.

            The job wasn't finished, but it was enough to put him in shock for years.

            But now, the pain has subsided.  Enough energy has been gathered to restore…

            And on the world of the Kaioshin, a single speck of pink rises from a long-covered crater.  Lightning crackles around it, as a small crowd of lesser Kai gathers at the sight…

            And the speck expands.  First, into a finger.  Then, from that expands a hand, and then an entire arm, all pink, the fingers crowned with angry black claws.

            From the arm forms the torso, and then the other arm, legs clad in baggy white pants, feet clad in black and yellow shoes…and a large, oversized belt with a stylized M at its center…

            And then, the head forms.  With deep sunken black eyes, a flat nose like the air holes of a human skull, a tentacle coming from the top of its bald head…

            And a mouth lined with sharp teeth.

            A face the lesser Kais know…and fear.

            "Buu!" one of them yells, "Call Kaioshin!  It's BUU!"

            Perhaps in reaction to its name, or simply from sensing living beings in its vicinity, the base, primal form of Majin Buu stirs.  Roaring, the hunched over force of nature rises fully…and the Kais teleport away…as does everything else on the world.

            Buu does not know it is Kaioshin's gambit, to lead it away.

            Buu can only sense there is no prey…nothing to destroy.  And rising up, looking up at the sky…it senses where it must go.

            Earth.


	3. Buu Attacks

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            Gohan studiously reads over the latest batch of homework essays from the Beginning Biology course that he student teaches, chewing on the end of his pen.  Looking up at the sound of footsteps, he sees his 11 year old brother Goten walking into the room, walking over to the couch and sitting next to him.

            "Where's Dad?"

            "He went up," Gohan says, pointing skyward.

            "Oh.  He dead again?"

            "No, he went to the Moon.  He's auditioning for the Justice League."

            "Oh.  The same guys who made you realize you had problems?"

            "Yeah," Gohan says, tapping the pen on the table, "And it's helped.  It really has.  I know Mom was upset when Videl and I broke up, but she just has to realize that the first step of my being happy involves me realizing that I have problems."

            The apartment rumbles.

            "Speaking of problems," Gohan says, running to the window…and seeing the fading red glow in the distance, "Ho boy.  That doesn't look natural."

            "Doesn't feel natural, either," Goten says, grimacing, "You feel that?"

            Gohan nods, tapping the button on the side of his watch and changing to the costume of Saiyaman.

            "Get Trunks," he says, "I'm heading to that site.  And if you can, get to the Lookout and get Piccolo.  That _definitely_ felt familiar."

            Opening the window, his white aura flares around him and he takes off into the distance, followed soon after by his brother…

            "…And I would like to announce that Plastic Man no longer has ANY say on the auditions process!"

            "Kyle, please remember you also voted for Ryoko," the Flash says, feet up on the table as Green Lantern finishes his diatribe, "You know, 'let he without sin cast the first stone', and if anyone else here's looked at the 'movies' he has on his computer, you'd agree that description doesn't apply to him."

            "This from the guy who bragged about being able to move at invisible speeds through the girl's locker room when he was in high school."

            The other assembled members of the League turn to the Flash, disapproving looks on their faces.  Especially from the female ones.

            "How'd you hear about that?" he asks.

            The door to the round table room of the JLA Watchtower opens, and J'onn J'onz, the Martian Manhunter and team telepath/tactician, walks in with Goku trailing behind.  The Saiyan looks about, dazed and amazed at the same time at the web of computers and displays lining the room, and then at the table…and mentally counts only five people.

            "Diana, Batman, Plastic Man and Orin are not here right now," J'onn explains in response to the as-yet unasked question, "Superman, Lantern, Flash, Sand, Kendra, this is Goku.  He will be joining as a reserve member."

            "Reserves?"

            "Standard policy," Superman says with a cough, "Since in the main league we have enough manpower to handle most standard threats, we have the reserves in case we face something we can't handle on our own."

            The lights turn red, klaxons blaring.  And on cue, Goku grips his head, gritting his teeth.

            "Speak of the devil," Sand says, sitting upright, "We'll check with the JSA."

            Superman nods to them, Sand and Hawkgirl running to the transporter tubes.

            "Is something wrong?" he asks, turning to Goku.

            "Something…I can feel something that shouldn't be there…"

            The air scorches in Gohan's wake as he senses the power getting stronger and stronger.

            A burning memory in the back of his mind.  Memories of his death and resurrection, of the being who caused it…of yet another enemy, another evil, he failed to defeat because he let the power he has go to his head.

            Mentally throwing the switch to call to bear the Kaioshin's blessing, his white aura flares as his full potential is unleashed…and he sees the glow in the distance.

            Pink.

            Pure pink.

            "Buu," he whispers, his face going white…and he composes himself, sensing the monster's location, bearing down…

            And the child-form of Buu leaps, latching onto Gohan in mid flight and opening his mouth to reveal a blast of mystic force, knocking the demisaiyan from the air and slamming him head first into the ground.

            Buu lands less than a quarter of a mile where he impacted, falling to all fours, sniffing the air like an animal for his prey…

            And the ground around the impact crater shatters and rises.  Electricity crackles from the hole, forming into a pillar of white chi.

            Gohan, face contorted in rage, eyes glowing white, stands at the center of the floating debris…which then falls around him, as he locks eyes with the demon.

            Both of them roaring, the two foes fly towards each other, meeting mid way.  A kick from Buu connects to Gohan's stomach, a punch from the superhero slamming into Buu's jaw.  They roll with the impacts, landing with enough force to spiderweb the ground around them.

            Buu opens his mouth, extending his hands, energy gathering into a blast.  Gohan cups his hands to his side, a sphere of blue-white energy forming.

            "Kame…hame…"

            Buu roars.  The blast releases, as Gohan thrusts his hands forward.

            "HA!"

            The beam of power lances out, meeting Buu's blast mid way and illuminating the thankfully uninhabited plane…

            "It's called Buu," J'onn explains, as a picture of the diminutive pink demon appears, "A magical creation of a wizard several millennia ago, designed for pure destructive purposes.  We have records of encountering it, although from what Goku told us our memories of the battle with it have been erased for our own good due to the destruction Buu caused during its last rampage."

            "I thought he was destroyed," Goku explains, "Is there any way we can find out why he's even here?"

            "Not until we see what he's doing," Superman responds, "J'onn, send the information and situation on to Batman.  Send a general summons and prepare the transporter beams.  Also, what is the current location?"

            "Northern Japanese archipelago.  Buu is currently engaged in a battle."

            The screen flickers, showing the superspeed impacts between two objects ripping up the ground around them.  The image blurs, slowing down…and shows a vicious hand to hand fight between Gohan and Buu, both of them bloodied and bruised.

            "So," Green Lantern says with a grimace, "How's his therapy doing, again?"

            Gohan grabs the head-tentacle in mid flight, winding up and tossing Buu to the ground, pumping his arms to release swift volley of chi blasts which raze the plane below.  Cupping his hands above his head, a sphere of white forms, before he points his hands at the ground.

            "_MASENKO-HA!_"

            The sphere releases into a beam, which fires into the smoke and debris and explodes into a mushrooming dome of destruction.

            And at the center of it, Buu quickly re-forms, roaring with enough force to form a crater around him.

            The demon leaps at Gohan, blurring in mid jump, Gohan blocking the opening punch…but the demon blurs in mid motion once more, appearing behind him and slamming both feet into his back, sending him hurtling to the ground.

            Gohan lands on his hands and knees, rolling out of the way as Buu slams into the ground like a meteor, pushing off his hands and spinning through the air before landing on one knee.

            Buu turns to him, fumes of pink energy rising off of him…

            "_RENZOUKU SHINE!_"

            A hail of hundreds of chi blasts slam into Buu and the ground around him, ripping up dirt and debris.  Looking up, Gohan sees his unlikely helper:  A pre-teen boy in a vest and white pants similar to Buu's, with long gold tendrilled hair and a supremely cocky expression on his face.

            "Gotenks!" he yells.

            The fusion looks down, snorting.

            "Hey, so looks like we saved your but after all, eh?" he asks in his dual voice, "We make Buu dead?"

            "_No._"

            The debris clears, revealing nothing lying in the impact crater…and Buu appears above Gotenks.  Gotenks only has enough time to loudly swear before Buu hammer-blows him, sending him into the crater where the force of impact separates him into Goten and Trunks.

            The demon levels a hand at the two unconscious children…and then perks his head up.  He sniffs at the air, looking around…and looking in the direction of the south-west, he takes off, leaving a trail of pink energy behind him…and with Gohan soon in pursuit.

            A small village in the African/Middle Eastern area.

            A dark skinned boy, no more than 4 years old, sits outside his house.  He senses something.  The presence heading his way, the familiar power.

            "What are you doing out here?"

            He looks up to see his mother…and turns back to stare into the distance.

            "Something is coming," he says.

            "And what is that, Uub?" she asks, sitting down next to him, "You shouldn't stay out here.  You might catch cold."

            He nods…and his mind relaxes, blocking out the close memory of the power.  And as normal for a child his age, all is well with the world.

            A glowing green replica of Voltron appears, grabbing Buu and stomping him into the ground.  The monster rises, the replica disappearing…and a red blur strikes him at near-light speeds, forming pronounced dents all over his face and chest, making the monster roar in anger.

            "It's getting angry!" the Flash yells, "Green Jeans, like we planned!"

            "On it!" Lantern yells.

            Pointing his ring upwards, a circle forms around Buu…which then forms into an emerald hamster cage, the water spout coming alive and throwing Buu back in a steady stream of green.

            "Hamster cage?" Flash asks.

            "Hey, I was pressed for time," he responds, "Di!  Yours!"

            Buu looks up…just in time to see the fist slamming into his face as an uppercut from Wonder Woman sends him flying.

            "J'onn!  Incoming!" she yells.

            Martian Manhunter flies into the now-hurtling Buu, a double-palm strike to his back sending the reeling Buu flying upwards.

            "Superman!  Now!"

            Buu turns in mid air, to the red and blue blur heading towards him…and a upwards hammer blow sends the screaming monster flying straight up and into the distance.

            "That should send him into high orbit," Superman says, "That should buy us a minute.  J'onn, has Goku departed yet?"

            "He teleported out shortly after we left the Watchtower," J'onn responds, his cape falling around him as a cloak, "Once he contacts the Kaioshin and learns Buu's purpose he will contact us."

            The two land, as Gohan stops short in mid-air above them.

            "We took care of him," Lantern says, pointing up.

            Gohan nods, emitting a guttural growl, and flies up, chi aura sheathing him as he takes off like a bullet.

            Goku appears on the uninhabited green world, running before taking off into flight towards the simple house atop the highest mountain.

            A white burst flies out from the residence, stopping short in front of Goku…and forming into a smallish man, lavender skin and with white, bound long hair, clad in a ceremonial garb reminiscent of an oriental deity.

            "Kaioshin!" Goku exclaims, "It's Buu!  He's-"

            "Revived, yes," the high deity responds, "I know.  I cannot go with you, but I know where he's going.  I know what he's after."

            "What?"

            "He wants to make himself complete," Kaioshin responds, "Buu knows his soul is gone.  He's heading for it."

            Goku wracks his brain for a moment…and remembers the wish he made after Buu was destroyed.

            "Oh no," he says, "He's after his reincarnation?"

            "If he initiates the fusion, he will re-form into Super Buu…and maybe something more powerful.  You must stop him."

            He places his hand on Goku's shoulder, a small spark of white passing between them.

            "Godspeed, Goku," he says, "Already your allies have bought you time.  I pray it will be enough."

            Goku nods, flying back.  Placing his fingers to his temple, he flickers, and disappears.  The Kaioshin flies back, waving his hand as all the other Kais to inhabit the world reappear, mulling about themselves as he lands at the porch of his residence.

            And the translucent image of a taller Kai appears next to him.

            "And?" he asks.

            "As I planned, Kibito," he responds, "It's all going beautifully according to my plan."

            Buu lands in the Persian Gulf, leaping out of it and impacting on the ground somewhere in eastern Egypt.

            Another leap south brings him into the Sahara desert.  Sniffing the air, he looks around, walking about…and bumping into a green tunic.

            He looks up, just in time to see Gohan's face before the demi-saiyan punts him.

            "This time I am _NOT_ underestimating you," he growls, launching himself at Buu…just in time to see a red and blue blur fly past Buu and send him hurtling back at Gohan.  He grabs Buu by the leg, axe-kicking Buu to send him straight down to the desert sans the leg Gohan now holds.

            Superman appears next to him, watching as Buu impacts on the desert with enough force to turn his impact crater into glass.

            "I take it you've fought him before," he says.

            "Yeah," Gohan responds, "Where's my Dad?"

            "He went to ask the Kaioshin why Buu's here.  Any clue?"

            "None needed.  I'm just going to beat the crap out of him.  You're welcome to join."

            He flies down towards the crater.  Superman turns to follow, and the communicator in his ear crackles.

            "_Clark__, wait.  I have a plan._"

            Superman nods, listening to the idea, and takes off to the north west, towards the Eastern Seaboard of North America…


	4. Kaioshin's Gambit

------------

            The battle isn't going well.

            Buu, this Buu, makes up for where the power lacks with animalistic drive and intelligence greater than Gohan was counting on.

            A pair of chi blasts at the descending Gohan were only a feint, to cause him to swerve enough out of the way for Buu to land dozens of blows before he could react…

            And now, the pink monster has the demisaiyan on his knees, his head-tendril wrapped around Gohan's throat, slowly choking him while the monster growls and spits…

            And a pencil-thick beam of green severs the tendril, making Buu scream as Gohan speeds back, tossing away the rest of the tentacle.

            "Busy?" Green Lantern asks, landing next to Gohan.

            "Yep."

            "Good.  So's he.  He didn't see the rock."

            "What rock?" Gohan asks…when the ground underneath them begins to glow red…

            And a meteor strikes Buu.

            A starship flies through the streaking mists of hyperspace, a small, streamlined craft with three wings and a blue bulb covering the front of the ship and serving as a viewport for the bridge.

            As robots of her design run the ship for her, the captain sits.  A young woman with light blue skin and curly golden red, shoulder length hair, she looks out the viewport with gold rimmed eyes, staring ahead at the blue orb she knows is her final destination.

            Earth.

            And a reunion that she has put off for 11 years…

            Emerald energy slows Buu's advance as Lantern growls, blood pouring from his nose as he slows down the irresistible force that is Majin Buu.

            No one's here to see this, naturally.  Buu recovered from the meteor damn fast and belted Gohan into another time zone, leaving Kyle to, as always, be the only person dealing with a nigh-indestructible nigh-cosmic threat.

            It's a living.

            _Let's see…takes about thirty seconds for him to get here when Son can SEE STRAIGHT, but by then, if I don't increase the amount of force…ah, screw it._

            "Say 'Ah'," Kyle growls.

            A small object flies out of the ring and through the beam, as the beam takes the shape of a hammer and smacks Buu on the foot.  The pink demon roars…and the object flies into his mouth.

            "Smile for the birdy," Kyle says, the green energy forming into a sphere around Buu, "And say, 'I just swallowed a thermonuclear bomb!'"

            Buu roars…and explodes, splattering the insides of the sphere.

            "Whoops.  Too slow."

            Feet clacking against the rock floor, Superman lands in the underground cave amidst trophies from crimes solved in the past.

            Although, he's idly wondered what sort of criminal could find a way to get a ten-foot high penny, much less actually use it in a practical crime.

            "Clark," the monotone voice says from the massive supercomputer at the other end of the cave, "Come here."

            Superman walks forward, as the chair turns around and reveals the black clad form of Batman.

            "Did you find something?" Superman asks.

            "A theory.  Buu regenerates, correct?"

            "Yes.  Remarkably fast.  We lay into him with everything we have and he's whole again a second later."

            "According to files, Buu has been destroyed.  But when he has been destroyed, he's split himself into multiple, smaller versions of himself to rejoin.  Do you see a comparison?"

            "Splitting off into other versions when mortally wounded," Superman says, face screwing in thought…and then going into stock shock as he makes the mental connection, "Lobo?"

            "Similar regeneration abilities to a Czarian," Batman says, rising from his chair and bringing up a hypospray, "I have a contingency plan for Lobo.  It should also work on Buu."

            It didn't take Buu terribly long to regenerate.  In fact, he seemed pretty refreshed.

            Oh, and he also seemed stronger.  At least, Kyle thought so, because Buu just broke through an energy shield he had in front of him like break-away glass and is currently holding him by the collar with one hand while gathering energy for a killing blast in the other.

            At least, until Buu began to scream in pain from the translucent green hand now sticking out of his chest.

            "Now that's beautiful," Lantern says, dropping from Buu's grip as the monster continues to writhe, J'onn remaining in position for his phasing attack.

            "Wally," J'onn states, "Now."

            A blue streak begins to approach from the distance.

            _Blue?_ Kyle thinks, _Wally's red…oh, right.  He's moving at Lightspeed._

            Kyle sighs, covering his ears as the blue-shifted Flash slams into Buu and sends him flying westward.

            "Well, what're we waiting for?" Kyle asks, standing up as Wally begins heaving, hunched over.

            "Waiting…for…world to stop…spinning," Flash responds.

            Which is when two gold streaks fly by, towards Buu...and joining into one.

            "Huh," Kyle says, scratching his head, "Wonder what that was…"

            Gotenks yells out, bearing down onto Buu with a flurry of superspeed blows and landing them, indentations marking Buu's body as he's sent stumbling back.  Buu roars, energy rising off him…and he stops, sniffing the air…and leaps southward, sensing something.

            "The Hell?" Gotenks asks, reverting from Super Saiyan 3 to Super Saiyan form, "We're supposed to get a rematch, damn it!"

            He takes off in a streak after Buu, the air scorching in his wake…

            Uub looks towards the distance, walking from the house…and at the outskirts of his village, the pink monster slams into the ground.  Slowly, the black eyed demon looks up and at him, grinning darkly.

            A growl moving up into a roar, he lunges at Uub…and is slammed face first into the ground as Gotenks slams feet-first into Buu's head.

            "Ain't gettin' rid of me that easy, Pinky!"

            Gotenks raises his first, resuming the Super Saiyan 3 form…

            And with a burst of light, changes back into Goten and Trunks.

            "I told you we should've waited longer to re-fuse," Goten says.

            Buu rises from the ground, slowly reaching out and grabbing the two demi-saiyans by their shirt collars…and a hypospray presses against his neck.

            Buu turns his head 180 degrees, looking at Superman as the concoction begins to ripple against his skin…

            And dropping the saiyans, he belts the Man of Steel into the air, turning back to Goten and Trunks…and finding them gone.  Buu begins to stagger, as Goku appears in the blur of teleportation in front of him.  Buu swings at Goku…

            And the fist shatters against the saiyan's skin.  Silently, the saiyan grabs Buu by the head tail, a spark of light passed from his hand, as his other hand begins to glow…

            And screaming, Buu leaps from Goku, the tentacle severed, and leaps upon Uub.

            "Oh no," Goku whispers.

            Pink and flesh begin to merge, the village shaking as a tornado of violet energy rises into the sky.  Lightning crackles, the single, deep voice laughing…

            And then, as white flashes, the voice becomes a scream.  A scream of denial, echoing the same works over and over again:

            "_So close…so close…so close…_"

            And then, the tornado is gone, and the single figure falls onto his knees.

            A dark skinned boy, around ten years old, with long violet hair in a braid down his back and sharp spikes at the top.  The boy rises, clad in the white pants of Buu, pink energy flowing from his fingertips…and he turns to Goku, the white in his eyes glowing for a moment before relaxing.

            "It is done," Uub says, "I am in control.  I am ready to begin my training, Master."

            The very air is thick with tension as Goku walks into his house…and finds that his mentor and his companions are nowhere to be seen.

            "I'm back," he announces, "I saved the world.  Chi Chi?"

            "In the kitchen, Goku!" the voice sing songs.

            A superspeed search confirms that King Kai is not inside the house.  A slightly more extensive superspeed search confirms he's not within the next mile, as does a ki scan.

            Goku ponders this as he walks across the living room and to the kitchen, and finds an oddly contented Chi Chi preparing dinner.

            "Chi Chi," he asks, "Did you kill King Kai?"

            "Nonsense," she responds after taking an uncomfortable moment to ponder the idea, "I…we…simply decided on a far better place for him to live until his planet can be wished back."

            Krillin opens the door to the Kame House, and finds a blue, bulbous midget in a house dress, a monkey, and a floating grasshopper standing outside the doorway.

            "Ha," Krillin chuckles, and then deeply sighs, "Give me a break."

            Eyes closed, Kaioshin meditates above his world, emblazoned in an aura of his energies.  Above where the Z-Sword once rested, he ponders the new path his existence is soon to take…and the significance of his actions today.

            "So," the old voice says, "It's as I thought it would be."

            Kaioshin's eyes open, and he turns to see Old Kai, the Rho Kaioshin, floating next to him.

            "It is," Kaioshin says, "A portion of my essence was attached to Goku.  When Buu and Uub merged, so did a portion of myself…and through that, I will learn as Goku mentors Uub."

            "And so you will secretly learn the techniques of possibly the most powerful fighter in the cosmos," Old Kai says with a chuckle, "And the Mystic training, to.  You're upping your personal ante in this game, Kaioshin.  Aren't you?"

            Kaioshin steps out of his meditative stance, smiling slightly.

            "I am, indeed," he says, "We are the Gods who stand above other Gods.  It is time that we command the respect we once did.  After our mauling at Buu's hands, we became laughing stocks."

            He turns sharply to the elder, face twisted into an angry, flustered grimace.

            "And I am now the Dai Kaioshin, and as such I will _not_ allow us to be mocked anymore!"

            And with that, his white aura flaring about him, Kaioshin flies off towards his home.  Leaving Old Kai alone, sighing, as he takes up a meditative position.

            "Let's just hope it doesn't bite you in the ass, lad," he says, "Let's just hope."

            And so another day ends for Son Gohan, as the young man once more finds himself alone on a weekend night.

            Sighing, he looks out towards the stars, looking out the window of his bedroom…and for a moment, thinks he sees a shooting star.  A spaceship with a familiar ki, of someone from long ago…and shuffling that to the back of his mind, he falls asleep…

            Never knowing what the day will soon entail, or the plans fate has in store for him.

**To be Continued…**


End file.
